El Abuelo

Shot on location in San Antonio, Texas, El Abuelo is an intimate portrait of local educator and poet, Joe Jimenez.
Through the meditative process of ironing his clothes (a duty often identified as “women’s work”), we experience Joe in that familiar goal of finding the perfect crease. Of all domestic chores, ironing is the only one a “homeboy” is more than happy to master, as masterful ironing is the key to reaching an appearance of perfection. And to a homeboy, perfect creases work hand in hand with the power of attraction.

Through voiceover, we hear Joe reading his poem, “El Abuelo,” and learn of the potency of ironing that’s used to capture the attention of his “first vato” – his first love of another man.